The Paths We Choose
by ally127
Summary: Duo and Trowa are sent to prison after a trip to the bar. Two very different POV's of how and why it happened. One-shot, non-yaoi.


Disclaimer: Nothing to own here.

**The Paths We Choose**

Duo's POV

"Ugh… ow, my head." I woke up feeling like a herd of hippos just ran over my head. My face was plastered against stiff bed sheets with my arms crossed under my stomach, and my legs were tangled at my ankles. W_here are my shoes?_

I had to use a lot of effort to lift my head up. Funny… I thought I was an airhead, but my head was like an anvil. Anyway, when I was finally able to look up, I saw an all too familiar setting: prison walls.

"Glad to see you've finally woken up," a voice said from behind me. It scared the pants off of me! _Wait… where are my pants?_ My adrenalin kicked in and my body snapped to attention. I rolled over on my back, _yep, my pants are definitely gone_, and prepared to defend myself.

"Trowa?!" _Whew!_ I chuckled nervously, still recovering from my heart attack. "Man, you scared me half to death!" Boy, was I glad to see him. I've never been in jail with Trowa before… _I wonder what I did this time…I wonder what HE did…_ "So, what's up?" I asked casually.

Trowa gawked at me for a long time like he didn't understand me. "Why are we here?" I asked again, straight forward this time.

"You don't remember, do you?" I couldn't tell if he was mad, sad, content, or confused. Trowa's so hard to read like that! Gah, he reminds me of math. No matter how hard I stare at the stupid problem, I can never solve it.

But, he was right. I had no idea what was going on. So, naturally, I told him the truth. "Nope, not a clue."

I think I heard Trowa sigh. Well, he made a soft noise, whatever it was. He sat in his neutral position: one leg over the other with his arm resting on his knee. _That's a good sign, I guess. Maybe I'm not in trouble._ …Wrong!

"You got drunk, Duo." Eight-ball in the corner pocket.

I propped myself up with my elbows. "Are you serious?!" What was I thinking?? Of course Trowa was serious! "Is that why my pants and shoes are gone?"

Trowa nodded, keeping his eyes locked onto mine. "I found your shoes, but you hid your pants somewhere." He uncrossed his legs, bent over the side of the bunk bed, and revealed my tennis shoes. They looked different though. _Did he re-lace them?_

"Uh, thanks for getting my shoes for me." I smiled sheepishly. Then it dawned on me. "I HID my pants??" _Why would I do that?! It's so drafty in here… Good thing I wore underwear today._

Again, Trowa nodded. "You said that your pants were useless and a waste of time." _Did I just see Trowa smirk?_

"Huh??"

"You were very drunk." That made sense.

I leaned forward and struggled to sit up. My body was as weak as green jell-o. Why 'green' jell-o? I don't know. Hey, wouldn't it be cool if there were black jell-o? I would totally eat it. Ok, getting back on track… Trowa grabbed my hands and pulled me up. I rotated my body so I could rest my back against the wall.

I do have one major pet peeve: awkward silences. They're just… awkward! Ya, know? But I should have saw it coming. I mean, there I was: in jail, chilly, woozy, and pants-less… with Trowa, the Silent Soldier! Arg.

I had to break it… I needed to break it… _the silence must go!_ As much as I was afraid to know, I asked him. "So, uh… what exactly happened? What did I do?" I scratched the back of my head. "I mean, why are we here?" Then I thought of something and perked up. "Did you get wasted too?!"

I got Trowa's attention. Score! It was kinda funny; his eye twitched for a brief second. He turned his head and stared as if he was looking for the answer on my face. "I had a couple of drinks, but I did not get drunk," he replied his usual monotone voice.

I didn't like that answer and I think Trowa saw that.

"Although," he began, raising my hopes back up. "I wasn't as sober as I would've liked to be."

"Ah ha…" I said slowly in a sly voice. _Heh heh heh…_ "So, what did you do in your non-sober state, hm? Did you strip too?"

That second question caught him off guard. I probably went a little to far. Even though I already knew the answer, he said, no. Then, it got quiet again. Grr.

"What was the last thing you remember?" Trowa's voice made me jump. I didn't expect _him_ to start a conversation.

_ Let's see now…_I dug into my brain as deep as I could. "Oh! I remember watching you perform at the circus! It was a good show." Trowa stared past me and nodded with appreciation. "Then we…" It all came back to me. "Then I dragged you out to celebrate your great performance… at the bar." I remember putting my arm around him and parading down the sidewalk. That was when I realized how tall Trowa was. It's so _not_ fair.

Trowa slowly nodded, acknowledging my recall. "Then what?"

I cackled. "I ordered a bottle of sake for us." I laughed again. It was my first time drinking sake and I have to say, it was different compared to wine or beer. There was a certain "kick" to it that ignited my cravings and got me hooked. The last thing I remember was holding up a tall glass of it to my mouth.

I was hesitant to ask, but I wanted to know. "How many cups did I have, Trowa?"

He scoffed. He actually scoffed! I wasn't sure if I wanted to know then. "Three bottles."

"Three_ bottles?!_" My stomach churned. Then he said that I still wanted more! _This is too much…_I brought my knees to my chest and hugged them. As if on command, the taste of alcohol and bile resurfaced and flooded into my mouth. I shut my eyes.

Without a word, Trowa wrapped his arms around me and picked me up. It felt like we were moving… then stopped. I felt the cold, hard floor under me and opened my eyes. I came face to face with a dinky little toilet. I held onto the rim of the bowl and gagged. My stomach cringed and released all of its contents. The pancakes from this morning, the corndog from the circus, and the sake from the bar; I puked all of it. When I finished, I slunk down on my butt and hunched over. The mixture of bile and alcohol still tainted my tongue. Ugh, I hate throwing up.

Trowa knelt down next to me. "Feeling better?" He rubbed my back as he spoke.

I breathed out a chuckle. I just couldn't believe how kind he was. I went and got drunk on him, wreaked havoc while pants-less, and put him in jail. And even though he wasn't all that sober, he could've have ditched me, but he didn't. Instead, he shows no regrets and takes care of me.

I turned my head and looked at him straight in the eyes. "Yeah. I'm feeling much better… Thanks, Trowa."

Trowa's POV

Duo smiled his biggest smile at me. It was hard to believe that just two hours ago, Duo was swinging off streetlights…

The bartender picked up Duo by his shirt collar like a disobedient puppy. He lugged Duo outside and dropped him on the curb of the sidewalk.

"Heeeyyy!" Duo howled in an angry tone. "Where's my sake?" he called out to the bartender in a more mild voice.

I remained inside the bar and cradled the tall glass of sake between my hands. My cup was only half empty, but I could feel my cheeks flush from the alcoholic buzz. I knew I had to leave the bar, but… _Just a little more… Just enough to escape this reality._ I shut my eyes and raised my glass.

"Let's just live out our lives…"

My eyes popped back open. _That was Duo's voice._ _Was it real? Or was it all in my head?_ I brought the cup to my lips and hesitated. _Is intoxication really the answer?_

"Let's just live out our lives believing in the paths we've chosen."

_ There it is again._ I gripped the cup harder and forced myself to swallow the rest of the sake. The glass dropped from my hands and crashed onto the floor. The stool squeaked under me as I stood up and stumbled as fast as I could out of the bar. Duo wasn't anywhere to be found.

His words never left my head. "Let's just live out our lives believing in the paths we've chosen," I repeated. Those were the words Duo said to Hilde when he first met her, and that was what he said to me today when he was guzzling down his second bottle of sake. _What made him say that?_ _He was drunk; it doesn't make sense…_

My thoughts were cut off when something rammed into me with force and nearly knocked me over. I looked down and saw Duo with his arms wrapped around me. He embraced me with the biggest bear hug I've ever experienced. He even managed to crack my back, which actually felt good. He laughed when he heard my back pop into alignment.

"Trowa-kun!"

I was so confused. My mind was still spinning, my heart was still pounding, and I was running out of air from Duo's hold. I then realized that Duo's pants were gone leaving only his red boxers to cover his lower half. I was even more confused.

"Duo, where are your pants?"

"Huh?" He released me and looked down. "Oh, yeah!" he hiccupped and laughed. The smell of alcohol was present in his laugh. "Pants… ha!" he scoffed. "Who needs 'em? They're useless!"

I finally remembered that he was drunk. "Really?" I prompted him to elaborate.

"Uh-huh!" Duo bobbed his head. "Pants are a waste of time! So, I hid them where no one could find them!" he chuckled eviliy.

I laughed on the inside. "C'mon, let's go home." I grabbed his arm, but he swatted it away.

"I'm not leavin' 'till I get s'more sake!" He looked down again. "An' my shoes!"

I sighed heavily. "Where are your shoes?"

"… I dunno…" He tried to remember, but he hurt himself. Duo's face suddenly brightened as he pointed behind me. "Maybe they're on that streetlight!" he slurred with excitement.

_ Uh-oh…_I tried to grab him, but he stumbled past me. I cursed myself for getting intoxicated and chased after him. Before I could catch up to him, I tripped over something and fell to the ground. I rose from the concrete with groan and uncovered the 'something': Duo's shoes. I picked them up and scuttled off.

I don't know how he did it, especially in his drunken state, but Duo climbed all the way to the top of the streetlight. "Woo-hoo!" He proceeded to swing back and forth, laughing like crazy, and clearly forgetting why he climbed up to the top in the first place.

I waved his shoes over my head and called out to him. "I found your shoes!" No response. "…Duo!" He either didn't hear me, or he totally ignored me.

Just then, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I zipped around and saw a badge reading 'L3 Police' staring at me. I looked up to the owner of the badge and examined his lifeless face. He wore sunglasses dark enough for me to see my reflection. His face read, 'I have authority and power… fear me.'

"Do you know that boy, son?" His voice was gruff and demanding.

I faltered, but my tone remained placid. "Yes, sir."

The man's nostrils flared; he smelled the alcohol on my breath. "I see." He glanced back to Duo.

I turned my gaze to the streetlight and found Duo back on the sidewalk. He was leaning against the pole with his feet wide apart, slowly sinking down to the ground. A crooked smile stretched across his face and he giggled for what seemed like no reason at all. Duo's eyes finally made contact with mine. He looked surprise as if he forgot I'd been with him all day, then smiled even more and waved his hand high in the air. His smile was contagious and I couldn't hold back.

The policeman stuck his hand back on my shoulder. His hand was heavy. "How about I give you and your friend over there a ride downtown?" It wasn't a question; it was a demand, and I knew exactly where he was planning to take us.

My body jumped when I felt something poke my knee. It was Duo, of course. He was strangely fascinated with my knee. I pat his head and he purred.

The policeman cleared his throat. I nodded and carefully yanked Duo up to his feet. I didn't want any trouble, especially since the colonies finally attained at peace, and I didn't want to leave Duo all by himself, especially in his condition. Besides, I owed him one. _I'm going live out my life believing in the path I've chosen._

"Where're we goin'?" he beseeched and jumped into my arms.

I staggered under his abrupt weight and caught my balance. "We're going for a ride across town," I eventually replied, leaving out any inkling of jail.

"Ooh! Really?" Duo's eyes sparkled. "Will they have hic sake across town?"

The police officer snorted and opened the car door for us. Through his dark shades, I could tell he was daring me to say 'yes'.

Duo waited for my answer like a greedy little kid at McDonald's. I sighed and shook my head. "No, Duo. There won't be any sake where we're going."

The officer faintly snickered; he was satisfied with my answer.

Duo blinked. "But…" He paused, deep in thought, trying to compute what I said. "But… my legs are cold," he raged weakly and passed out.

I carried Duo inside the prison cell and gently placed him on the shabby bunk bed. I turned around and faced the guard. He was pleased with my cooperation, but nonetheless, he slammed the iron door shut with angry-driven force. Black shadows encircled me.

I stood in the center of the cell and let my eyes wander. On the bottom bunk, Duo lay on his back drooling with his arms dangling randomly, while the top bunk had no sheets. There were no windows, and—other than the bunk bed and the small toilet in the corner—the prison cell was completely empty.

My eyes locked onto the toilet. I dragged my heels across the cell and knelt in front of it. There was one thing I had in mind: empty the alcohol toxins from my system. I reached back into my mouth with my finger as far I could and forced myself to gag. Eventually, the dirty bowl was filled with bile and toxins. I hate throwing up.

I wiped my mouth and flushed the toilet. Duo stirred and rolled over onto his stomach. I slowly plodded to the bunk bed. My stomach and my legs were weak and sensitive. A groan escaped my lips as I let myself plop on the bed next to Duo's feet.

Everything was quiet. If I moved ever so slightly, the squeaky bunk bed would echo loudly across entire room. However, Duo was unaffected and showed no signs of waking up any time soon.

Time passed slowly. I hated to admit it, but I was bored out of my mind. Perhaps it was because Duo was here, but he was dead quiet. It seemed so out of character for him to be silent. Then again, Duo always has a relaxed attitude; so I guess sleeping suited him well… maybe too well. I was tempted to shake him just so I could hear a 'what's up!' or 'yo, Trowa!'. I felt a little foolish for thinking that. _I should let him sleep. After all that sake, I'm sure he'll need it._

To keep myself busy, I placed Duo's shoes in my lap and tampered with them. They were ordinary tennis shoes with black and red flames blazing from corner to corner. The laces were twisted, tangled, and untied. So, I did him a favor… _I'm so bored_… and re-laced them. After an hour of spit-shinning Duo's shoes (yes, I actually did), I heard him moan.

"Ugh… ow, my head." Duo lifted his head little by little. I couldn't see his face, but I could imagine what it looked like.

"Glad to see you've finally woken up," I greeted. I frankly was glad that he was awake.

Duo gasped and flipped over on his back. His eyes were wide and terrified. He relaxed when he recognized my face and chuckled. "Trowa?!" His breaths were long. "Man, you scared me half to death!" _So I see…_ Duo paused and took one last deep breath. "So, what's up?"

I was pleased to hear those words, but Duo appeared so calm. I searched for any signs of him ever consuming alcohol. The only clear evidence were his red eyes.

Duo tilted his head. "Why are we here?"

"You don't remember, do you?" Obviously he didn't, but I inquired anyway.

Duo flexed his eyebrows. "Nope, not a clue."

I sighed in my throat. I almost wished he did remember. That way, I wouldn't have to explain things. Duo waited for my answer; I was trapped. "You got drunk, Duo."

He rested on his elbows with his mouth wide open. "Are you serious?!" He looked down and blinked, discovering his pants-less state_. I hope he's not thinking that I did that to him._ "Is that why my pants and shoes are gone?"

I nodded, keeping my eyes focused on his face and elaborated. "I found your shoes, but you hid your pants somewhere." As proof, I bent over, grabbed his shoes, and presented them to him.

Duo stared at them like they didn't belong to him. He thanked me, still a bit confused. Then his expression changed. "I HID my pants??"

I nodded and told him what he told me. _'Pants are a waste of time!' Sure, Duo. Whatever you say…_

He didn't seem to get it.

"You were very drunk," I reasoned; he understood.

Duo attempted to sit up, but failed. He wasn't expecting me to help him. I grabbed his hands and pulled him up. Duo smiled at me as he turned his back to the wall and leaned against it. His fingers twiddled and his toes wiggled. When I glanced at his face, he looked like he was concentrating on something… maybe his fingers? I don't know.

"So, uh…" Then I knew: it was too quiet for him. He was also fidgeting … hesitating. "What exactly happened? What did I do? I mean, why are we here?" Duo's eyes suddenly lit up. "Did you get wasted too?!"

My heartbeat quickened. _Wasted… _I turned my gaze to Duo. He was grinning from ear to ear, waiting for me to blab it all. I guess I shouldn't blame him. It's not everyday you hear the possibility of Trowa Barton getting drunk. "I had a couple of drinks, but I did not get drunk."

Duo's face fell; he was obviously disappointed that he didn't have a drunken buddy to swing off streetlights with. So, I gave him something to gossip about. "Although, I wasn't as sober as I would've liked to be."

His eyes lit back up again. "Ah ha…" I knew that was coming. "So, what did you do in your non-sober state, hm? Did you strip too?" Now I didn't expect _that_. My expression must have shown it; he backed down. But, still… I wanted to get it through his thick skull. "No, I did not strip." It got quiet.

_ 'Let's just live out our lives believing in the paths we've chosen.'_ _I wonder… does he remember saying that to me?_ _Did he really mean it?_ "What was the last thing you remember?"

The bed squeaked under Duo. I didn't intend to startle him. He quickly recovered and tapped his chin in deep thought. "Oh!" Duo's voice rang in my ear. "I remember watching you perform at the circus! It was a good show."

_ 'A good show'?_ I avoided his eyes and nodded. I had so much on my mind during my performance that I screwed up. Lucky for me, I was able to play off my mistake and fool the audience… and Duo.

"Then we…" Duo slowed down. "Then I dragged you out to celebrate your great performance… at the bar."

I nodded. He was correct, but he wasn't precise. At the time, I had no objections to Duo's offer; I needed a way to drown out my chaotic thoughts.

I wanted to press in and find out what else he could summon up. "Then what?"

Duo chuckled and broke into a hearty laugh. "I ordered a bottle of sake for us." He really liked that sake, I could tell. I just hope that he learns to control his cravings for it.

He stopped laughing and timidly looked at me. His hand came up and was placed on the back of his head. That seems to be a nervous habit of his. Finally, Duo spoke. "How many cups did I have, Trowa?"

I still couldn't get over how much he had. _Heh, what a guy. I can barely contain one cup of alcohol, yet he guzzles down three bottles of sake and screams for more._ "Three bottles," I informed him.

Duo's eyes widened. "Three _bottles_?!" His face paled.

"Yep. And you wanted more too."

Duo didn't find it very humorous. Instead, he held his knees close to his chest and closed his eyes. I could tell his body was ready to evacuate the poisons. I wanted to help him.

I embraced him tightly and carried him across the cell and in front of the toilet. Gently, I set him down and waited for a reaction. As I hoped, he welcomed the toilet and retched. His back muscles tightened as did mine.

When Duo finally finished vomiting, he slid down to the floor, against the wall, and bent over. The smell was uninviting, but I continued to advance toward Duo's small body. I knelt down next to him and stroked his back. "Feeling better?" I voiced softly.

Duo uttered a weak titter. That guy could laugh in any situation. He raised his head and fixed his cobalt blue eyes on me. "Yeah. I'm feeling much better…Thanks, Trowa."

He smiled widely, slowly swung his arms around me, and gave me another back-cracking bear hug. I like Duo's hugs. Not only are they of assistance, but they are also genuine—he doesn't take them for granted. Duo released his grip and I gasped for my breath. He giggled and so did I.

"So," Duo rolled over on his back and put his hands behind his head. "…How do we get out of here?" It got quiet.

The End

A/N: Great ending, don't ya think? XP Thanks for reading! Please read and review! Sorry if I didn't capture Duo or Trowa's character too well. I'll allow flames a.k.a. helpful criticism. Arigatou!


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